Was it helpful to the inquiry that Lightoller didn’t die?

[Haashir Ahmad]

Lightoller was very close to his death on the night of the Titanic, he was sucked down with the ship but blown back up near a lifeboat allowing him to live.

However, what if he had died on that tragic night. Lightoller was the most senior ranking officer, and out of the surviving officers had stayed on the Titanic the longest during the sinking.

Had Lightoller not survived, serious questions would be left unanswered, all the surviving officers Pitman, Boxhall and Lowe had got on a lifeboat and left the ship. If Lightoller had died then we would have have the testimonies of only these officers, none of who stayed onboard for a long a period of time during the sinking.

 

[Cam Houseman]

In my mind, there is no doubt about it. Lightoller's survival gave valuable information, of the loading and lowering of the boats, Collapsible B, times, information of the goings-on in the Bridge, and many more that I can't remember at the moment.

Pitman and Boxhall left the ship before she sank, and Lightoller was there during the final plunge, and was able to give an account of it.

 

[Michael H. Standart]

Any sort of information is more helpful than no information at all. Lightoller had first-hand knowledge of how the ship was operated up to the point of crunch time, and how it all played out from the time they started to try to evacuate the ship until the time she went under.

 

[Haashir Ahmad]

Any sort of information is more helpful than no information at all. Lightoller had first-hand knowledge of how the ship was operated up to the point of crunch time, and how it all played out from the time they started to try to evacuate the ship until the time she went under.

But what about the part of Titanic breaking in half. Lightoller clearly said that the ship went down in one piece and many believed him. Had he died, would people have come to the conclusion that Titanic broke in half much earlier.

 

[Titanicmaster]

In reading Lightholler’s testimony to both the American hearings and British Board of Trade he was tight lipped, short responses, and came across as a company man, not freely volunteering information unless specifically asked. One would think that the highest ranking officer would be a much stronger contributer to both inquiries.

 

[Cam Houseman]

But what about the part of Titanic breaking in half. Lightoller clearly said that the ship went down in one piece and many believed him. Had he died, would people have come to the conclusion that Titanic broke in half much earlier.

It's often believed that Lightoller was underwater during the breakup.

 

[VanessaMcHugh]

In reading Lightholler’s testimony to both the American hearings and British Board of Trade he was tight lipped, short responses, and came across as a company man, not freely volunteering information unless specifically asked. One would think that the highest ranking officer would be a much stronger contributer to both inquiries.

He did as he was told, I think.

 

[telegonus]

Yes, His testimony was essential, allowing that he was only human (after all), there were bound to be errors in his recollections, which ought to have been understood at the time. To be on board the sinking of a great ship such as the Titanic is a traumatic event, and there are bound to be conflicting accounts of how it happened, time frames, etc. That Lightoller was an experienced seaman would not make him necessarily a better witness.

 

[Cam Houseman]

Yes, His testimony was essential, allowing that he was only human (after all), there were bound to be errors in his recollections, which ought to have been understood at the time. To be on board the sinking of a great ship such as the Titanic is a traumatic event, and there are bound to be conflicting accounts of how it happened, time frames, etc. That Lightoller was an experienced seaman would not make him necessarily a better witness.

Lightoller even admitted there was a whitewashing of the Inquiry. He had a company's image to uphold. But what he still brought to the table I what I would consider valuable to what we understand of the sinking today.

 

[PhillipJ]

Bruce Ismay knew much of the events of that night. Though much criticised for surviving it was not unhelpful.

 

[Michael H. Standart]

But what about the part of Titanic breaking in half. Lightoller clearly said that the ship went down in one piece and many believed him. Had he died, would people have come to the conclusion that Titanic broke in half much earlier.

Would they have?

Yes, he had a lot of influence but there's no guarantee that somebody else wouldn't have come along to make the claim with equal force. We don't know any of that.

 

[Jenna Offerty]

It's often believed that Lightoller was underwater during the breakup.

This is certainly possible, and I've also seen it posited that the forward positioning of B makes it unlikely those on it clearly saw the breakup; i.e. in comparison to someone looking at the ship from the side.

 

[SunnyDay]

This is certainly possible, and I've also seen it posited that the forward positioning of B makes it unlikely those on it clearly saw the breakup; i.e. in comparison to someone looking at the ship from the side.

Plus it's what you're looking at during that time, and how closely you're looking at it. If he was looking at it properly then he's not looking at the countless dangers around him... he may have seen it very briefly or on his peripheral vision.

 

[Kyle Naber]

The breakup was a smokey, sparky mess. If you didn’t have a good view, it was probably a confusing event.

 

[SunnyDay]

The breakup was a smokey, sparky mess. If you didn’t have a good view, it was probably a confusing event.

Yes plus in stressful situations you literally get tunnel vision and your hearing goes.